Some of the most famous onscreen performances could have gone a totally different direction.

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Jennifer Lawrence as Alice in "Alice in Wonderland"

Jennifer Lawrence (left) revealed she was "devastated" when she lost the lead role in Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland." "The one thing that really killed me, like the only time I’ve ever been truly devastated by losing an audition...was Tim Burton’s 'Alice in Wonderland,'” the actress told Howard Stern. The role went to actress Mia Wasikowska.

Mia Farrow as Liesel in 'The Sound of Music'

Julie Andrews may have instantly gotten the role of Maria in the hit 1965 musical "The Sound of Music," but another star was aiming to also appear in the film. Angela Cartwright, who played Brigitta von Trapp, told Fox News Mia Farrow (left) originally auditioned for the role of Liesel."[Director] Robert [Wise] had a hard time casting that role because he didn’t want a known face," explained Cartwright. "He liked the idea of having someone who was new, but who was very talented and had a very beautiful voice. There was something about Charmian Carr (right). She has these amazing blue eyes and a very distinct voice. I think he made a very wise choice there. And she owned it." MORE: ACTORS WHO ALMOST GOT THE PART

Jennifer Lawrence as Olive in "Easy A"

During The Hollywood Reporter's Actress Roundtable, Jennifer Lawrence playfully confronted Emma Stone about beating her for the role of Olive in the 2010 teen comedy "Easy A." “I auditioned for 'Easy A,'" said the 27-year-old. "I wanted it so bad."

(Reuters)

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Henry Winkler as Danny in "Grease"

Henry Winkler, who found fame as Fonzie on "Happy Days," admitted to turning down the role of Danny from the 1978 film musical "Grease." Jon Travolta would eventually take on the iconic character. "I turned down the lead role," Winkler told AARP. "Didn’t want to be typecast. But you’re typecast anyway. And it’s not now that I’m like, 'Oh, I should’ve done the role.' It’s that I turned it down intellectually instead of instinctually. Listen to your gut – it knows everything. Your head knows only some things. So I went home and had an orange juice. Travolta went home and bought a plane."

(Reuters)

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Leonardo DiCaprio as Max in "Hocus Pocus"

Leonardo DiCaprio was once considered for the role of Max or "the virgin that lit the black candle" in the 1993 beloved Halloween cult classic "Hocus Pocus." However, film director Kenny Ortega told Entertainment Weekly that the then-19-year-old was also auditioning for "two films he really wanted." DiCaprio would go on to star in "This Boy's Life" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." Actor Omri Katz played the role of Max. MORE: 19 REASONS WHY 'HOCUS POCUS' IS THE BEST HALLOWEEN MOVIE OF ALL TIME

Clint Eastwood and Chris O'Donnell for 'Men in Black'

“Men in Black” director Barry Sonnenfeld revealed to The Daily News actor Chris O’Donnell was considered for the role of Agent J and Clint Eastwood for Agent K. However, he originally had Will Smith and "the very intimidating" Tommy Lee Jones in mind for the film. Sonnenfeld's picks proved to be a winning combination. “Men in Black” earned nearly $600 million at the box office. MORE: FAVORITE TV REUNIONS

John Lithgow as Joker

John Lithgow told Vulture he was considered to play Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 film, "Batman." “I was doing ‘M. Butterfly’ on Broadway and it was an exhausting show,” said the 71-year-old actor. “It would have meant leaving that show and going right into a movie, and I said, ‘I just don’t think I can.’ How about that for stupid? Actors are not necessarily smart people.” The role would go on to Jack Nicholson. MORE: Ranking All of the Jokers in the Batman-verse

(Reuters/Getty)

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Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep in 'Thelma & Louise?'

In the upcoming book "Off the Cliff," author Becky Aikman claims actresses Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep were desperate to star in the 1991 film "Thelma and Louise." "They didn't have their agents make the call; they did it themselves. No one would have expected the two friends, box-office champs, and Oscar winners, to campaign for parts, but they showed up prepared to kill," wrote Aikman. However, the roles ultimately went to Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis.

(Reuters)

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Joseph Fiennes as Obi-Wan Kenobi

Joseph Fiennes revealed he nearly landed the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars." "“It was whittled down after many auditions to myself and another fine actor who I was at that time at drama school with," Fiennes told The Wrap. The role eventually went to Ewan McGregor who went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London around the same time as Fiennes.

(Reuters)

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Connie Britton as Olivia Pope

"Scandal" creator Shonda Rhimes told The Hollywood Reporter that an insider originally thought the 50-year-old "Nashville" star would have been a good choice to play Olivia Pope. "When the show got picked up [to pilot], I got a phone call from somebody who said, 'This would be the perfect show for Connie Britton.' I said, 'It would be, except Olivia Pope is black.'" Kerry Washington was ultimately chosen to take on the iconic role, which was inspired by Judy Smith, a former Bush Administration press aide turned real-life crisis management expert.

(Reuters)

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Ian McKellen as Dumbledore

Ian McKellen, left, didn't explore the possibility of playing Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" films after the original actor Richard Harris died because he knew Harris wasn't a fan of his. "“When they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the 'Harry Potter' films, they didn’t say in what part,” he told BBC's "HARDtalk." “I worked out what they were thinking, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me.” Michael Gambon, right, got the role in the end.

Emma Watson in "La La Land"

Emma Watson, left, was supposed to have Emma Stone's role in "La La Land," but she opted to go film Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" remake instead. "La La Land" earned 14 Academy Award nominations, including a Best Actress nod for Stone. We're guessing Watson may have some regrets.

(Reuters)

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Andrew Garfield in "Narnia"

Andrew Garfield, left, revealed he missed out on a "Narnia" role and Ben Barnes, right, ultimately got it. “I really wanted to play...This is so silly. There was a 'Narnia' movie. The 'Prince Caspian' film..." he dished to ET. “Ben Barnes ultimately got it… I think the feedback was ‘he's not handsome enough.’ What can you do? Hey, I'm not handsome enough for Prince Caspian.”

(Reuters)

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Eddie Redmayne in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

Redmayne really wanted to play Kylo Ren in "The Force Awakens" but he lost the role to Adam Driver. Redmayne recently said he had a “catastrophically bad” audition for the part.

(Reuters)

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Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Star Wars'

Leonardo DiCaprio revealed in a new interview that he turned down the role of Anakin Skywalker. "I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that, yes," DiCaprio told Shortlist. "[I] just didn't feel ready to take that dive. At that point." The role went to Hayden Christensen instead.

(Reuters)

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Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis turned down Jack Lemmon's role in 1959's "Some Like it Hot" because he didn't want to appear in drag. The comedian told director Martin Scorsese at a conversation Tuesday night at the Museum of Moving Image that he regrets his decision. "I would have had a chance to kiss Marilyn Monroe," Lewis said according the The Post. Lewis said the film's director called him the idiot who turned down "Some Like it Hot" and Lemmon, who earned an Oscar nom for the role "sent me chocolates every year until he died."

(Reuters/Metro Goldwyn Mayer)

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Cameron Diaz in 'Mortal Kombat'

"Mortal Kombat" producer Lauri Apelian told the Hollywood Reporter that they originally cast Cameron Diaz in the leading role but the film's production company was concerned that Diaz was "not a household name" at the time. In the end, they went with Bridgette Wilson-Sampras. "We were very happy with Bridgette. It was great she was available."

(Reuters)

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Christina Applegate in 'Legally Blonde'

Christina Applegate passed on the leading role in "Legally Blonde" because she was scared of being typecast. She told ET, "The script came along my way and it was right after I had just finished, 'Married [With Children],' and it was a blonde who in that first script is dimwitted but ends up going to Yale, or Harvard, I don’t remember. But I was scared. I got scared of, kind of repeating myself." While we're sure Applegate would have done a great job, we're glad she passed because it's hard to imagine anyone besides Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods.

(Reuters)

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Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow in 'Clueless'

"Clueless" director Amy Heckerling knew Alicia Silverstone was the right actress for the lead role in the iconic '90s film, but that didn't stop the film's executives from exploring other options. Heckerling revealed actresses Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow and others were considered for the part of Cher Horowitz. Nearly 20 years after the film was released, it's hard to imagine anyone besides Silverstone for the role.

(Reuters/AP)

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Jada Pinkett Smith in 'The Matrix'

Jada Pinkett Smith was almost cast as the female lead in "The Matrix" but lost it to Carrie-Anne Moss because she had no chemistry with Keanu Reeves. The actress told Howard Stern on his radio show that she and Reeves "didn't, uh, really click." While she admitted she was bummed to have lost the role in the series, she now thinks Moss was the right choice.

(Reuters)

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Timothy Olyphant

"Justified" star Timothy Olyphant told Conan O'Brien he screen tested for the role of Tony Stark for "Iron Man" on the same day Robert Downey Jr. did. "I'm still waiting to hear back," Olyphant said. "It could be a real game changer."

(Reuters)

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Jeremy Sisto in 'Titanic'

It's hard to imagine anyone but Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack in "Titanic," but "Clueless" star Jeremy Sisto revealed he almost nabbed the part. Sisto eventually lost the part to DiCaprio but has since gone on to star in "Suburgatory" and had a reoccurring role on HBO's "Six Feet Under."

(Reuters)

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Reese Witherspoon in 'Gone Girl'

"Gone Girl" director David Fincher didn't feel Reese Witherspoon was right for the part of Ben Affleck's wife in the 2014 thriller. "We had a long conversation where [Fincher] was like, 'You're not right for it. And this is why," Witherspoon told The Hollywood Reporter. No hard feelings though, Reese agreed with Fincher and the role eventually went to Rosamund Pike.

(Reuters)

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Neil Patrick Harris

Belive it or not, Neil Patrick Harris turned down a role in the mega-hit series"American Horror Story" for personal reasons. He said he and husband David Burtka were offered a role after they had just played a couple that disliked each other in a movie. "...I thought, it just seems weird to do that twice... So I said, ‘No,’ that we shouldn’t do it. And David wanted to, and I said, I just don’t want us to be known as a couple that don’t like each other, that seems weird.” Click here to find out what else he had to say about the show.

Reba in 'Titanic?'

Country superstar Reba McEntire was director James Cameron's first choice for Molly Brown in "Titanic." The role, which eventually went to Kathy Bates, was turned down by McEntire due to scheduling conflicts. Although "Titanic" went on to be a huge success, we think Reba's done pretty well for herself.

(Reuters)

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Jennie Garth in 'Saved by the Bell?'

Before Jennie Garth and Tiffani Thiessen became BFFs on the set of "Beverly Hills, 90210" only to have a mysterious and public falling out years later, the two were up for the same role on another early 80s late 90s TV classic. Garth was up against Thiessen for the role of Kelly Kapowski on "Saved By the Bell." Thiessen eventually won out and we can't help but wonder if that created some tension that eventually led to their famous feud. PHOTOS: Biggest celebrity feuds ever

(Reuters)

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Katie Holmes in 'Orange Is the New Black'

"Orange Is the New Black" creator Jenji Kohan revealed she originally wanted Katie Holmes to play the lead role on her Netflix hit. "I'm a big fan of [Holmes]. I met with her originally for Piper, I believe," Kohan told E! News. But because no one knew the show would be such a success and Holmes was "busy" with other projects at the time, Taylor Schilling (R) was cast as Piper Chapman.

(Reuters/Jill Greenberg/Netflix)

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Lucy Hale in '50 Shades of Grey?'

Actress turned country singer Hale (L) recalled her "uncomfortable" "Fifty Shades of Grey" audition. "It was a two-page monologue of exactly what you would think it would be," she told MTV News. "Very uncomfortable," Hale continued about her audition. "But it was sort of one of those things where you just had to go for it or you're just gonna look lame—hopefully, I didn't look lame." In the end, the gig went to Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith's daughter Dakota Johnson (R).

(Reuters)

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Mel Gibson in ‘The Terminator’?

Ah-nold's iconic role was reportedly offered to Mel Gibson, who turned it down. And thankfully so, because the words "I'll be back" just wouldn't have the same effect coming from Mel.

(Reuters)

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Robin Williams as the Joker?

In an interview with Sirius XM, Williams revealed he was considered for Jack Nicholson's role in the1989 Batman flick. "Supposedly at one point they offered [me] the Joker in Batman, and then it went to Jack," he said.

Nicolas Cage as 'Iron Man'

Nicolas Cage as 'Iron Man'

It's hard to picture the Marvel trilogy being as wildly successful without Robert Downey, Jr. starring as Tony Stark, aka "Iron Man." But this movie was a long time in the making before Rob signed on to play the comic book character.

Back in 1997, Nic Cage was one of the first actors to express interest in the part. Luckily for audiences, filming didn't actually begin until a decade later and Robert Downey, Jr was there to save the day, literally.

Check out which other stars were in the running for some of Hollywood's biggest parts.

(Reuters/Paramount Pictures)

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Zooey Deschanel in 'Silver Linings Playbook'

Jennifer Lawrence may have taken home the Oscar for starring as recently widowed Tiffani Maxwell, but that role almost went to Zooey Deschanel. Producers also considered Vince Vaughn for Bradley Cooper's part.

(Reuters/The Weinstein Company)

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Tom Cruise as Salt

The 2010 spy thriller, "Salt" was supposed to have a male lead portraying the title character of Edwin A. Salt and Tom Cruise was reportedly slated to play the part. But then Angelina Jolie apparently caught wind of the script and showed interest in playing the lead, and that's how Evelyn Salt came to be.

(Reuters/Sony Pictures)

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Thomas Jane as Don Draper?

"I started, literally, on the very, very bottom," Jon Hamm says of getting the part of Don Draper on AMC's "Mad Men." "I wasn't on anybody's lists... The funny thing was, I think they went to Thomas Jane for it, and they were told that Thomas Jane does not do television."

Thomas has since clearly changed his tune, as he now stars in HBO's "Hung."

Women everywhere are quite happy with both outcomes.

(Reuters/AMC)

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Lindsay Lohan in 'The Hangover'?

The first two installation of "The Hangover" were wildly popular and a third will hit screens on May 23. All the stars in the movie became household names and revamped their careers with this laugh-out-loud comedy. But Lindsay was not one of them.

She reportedly turned down the role of Jade, the stripper, which was later given to Heather Graham. Lindsay, back in 2009, apparently felt that the script "had no potential."

Boy, was she wrong.

(Reuters/Warner Bros.)

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Lindsay Lohan in 'The Hangover'?

"The Matrix" trilogy was wildly successful with Keanu Reeves as the star, Neo. But would it have been the same if Will Smith accepted the part? Will doesn't think so.

“You know, 'The Matrix' is a difficult concept to pitch," he explains. "In the pitch, I just didn’t see it. I watched Keanu’s performance – and very rarely do I say this – but I would have messed it up."

(Reuters/Warner Bros.)

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Hugh Jackman as James Bond?

Before Daniel Craig was dubbed the new Bond in 2006, Hugh Jackman was approached to play the MI6 agent.

"'I got a call from my agent saying, 'There is some possible interest in you for Bond, are you interested?'" Hugh Jackman recalls. "At the time I wasn't. I was about to shoot 'X-Men 2' and Wolverine had become this thing in my life and I didn't want to be doing two such iconic characters at once."

(Reuters/MGM Columbia Pictures)

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Jennifer Lawrence in 'Twilight'?

The Oscar winner tried out for the role of Bella Swan in the "Twilight" series. She was likely better off spending her time working on "Hunger Games" and "Silver Linings Playbook." Leave the "Twilight" series and Razzy awards to Kristen Stewart.

(Reuters/Summit Entertainment)

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Emma Stone in 'Heroes'?

The funny actress tried out for the lead in "Heroes" after starring opposite Jonah Hill in "Superbad."

"I could hear that, in the other room, a girl had just gone in and they were saying, 'You are our pick... On a scale of one to 10 you're an 11,'" Emma recalls. Hayden Panettiere was the lucky gal who got the role. "I went home and just had this meltdown," she says.

We couldn't picture her in that cheerleader uniform anyhow.

(Reuters/NBC)

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Burt Reynolds in 'Pretty Woman'?

The actor was offered the role of Edward Lewis in "Pretty Woman" but ultimately declined.

He later joked with Piers Morgan in 2012 that after he saw the film and the love-making scenes with Julia Roberts, that he regretted not taking the part.

Doh!

(Reuters)

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Robert De Niro in 'Big'?

The 1988 hit wouldn't have been the same without Tom Hanks as Josh, but that role almost went to Robert De Niro. Luckily, De Niro was too expensive and the producers gave it to Tom.

(Reuters/20th Century Fox)

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Susan Sarandon in 'Rocky'?

Susan read for the role of Rocky's love interest, Adrian (Talia Shire), but producers thought she was "too attractive" to play the part.

(AP/United Artists)

susan-sarandon-in-'rocky'?

Susan Sarandon in 'Rocky'?

Quentin Tarantino recently told Vanity Fair that Daniel Day-Lewis was in the running to play Vincent Vega in "Pulp Fiction." Day-Lewis had apparently read the script and wanted in on the movie, too. But after much debate, the role eventually went to John Travolta.

(Reuters )

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Susan Sarandon in 'Rocky'?

The 1990 mobster flick wouldn't have been the same without Ray Liotta in the lead as Henry Hill. But if producer Irwin Winkler got his way, Tom Cruise would have starred instead.

"Tom Cruise was discussed. Marty [Scorsese, the director] wanted Ray [Liotta]," he explains. "Frankly I thought we could do a lot better."

That was until Ray won him over. "My wife [and I] were having dinner one night in a restaurant and lo and behold, Ray Liotta came over to me. He said, 'Look, I know you don't really want me for it, but...' And he sold me on the role right that evening."

Frank Sinatra as 'Dirty Harry?'

The music legend was in talks to play the dirty cop, but reportedly dropped out during contract negotiations because the handgun was too heavy. He was cautious to put added stress on his wrist, which he broke on the set of "The Manchurian Candidate."

But that wasn't the only reason he stepped away from the script. His father had also recently passed away and he wanted to spend some time doing lighter material.

Once ol' blue eyes dropped out Marlon Brando and Paul Newman were considered for the role before Clint Eastwood was ultimately cast.

Eminem in 'Wanted?'

Mark Millar, the writer and creator of the comic on which the movie was based, reportedly started the rumor that Eminem was attached to the flick. The illustrations of Wesley Gibson in his stories clearly look like the rapper.

"I'm really excited about the possibility of [Eminem] playing the lead role," Mark said at the time. "Universal have already been in talks with his people."

Apparently that wasn't actually true since Em's people came back saying it was news to them. James McAvoy ended up playing the lead.

(Aftermath/Universal Studios)

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O.J. Simpson in 'Terminator?'

This one is so good it seems made up, but famed footballer O.J. Simpson was considered for the part of the "Terminator" in 1984. According to one report, producers thought he was "too nice" to be taken seriously as a killer.

Haley Joel Osment in 'Harry Potter?'

When the book series was first in negotiations to make it to the big screen, Steven Spielberg was in talks to turn it into an animated movie. He envisioned Haley Joel Osment from "The Sixth Sense" reading for Harry Potter.

Kate Winslet in 'Bridget Jones's Diary?'

Lots of ladies were considered for the leading role of Bridget Jones.

British actresses Kate Winslet, Helena Bonham Carter and Rachel Weisz were all in the running to play the British singleton. Ultimately Renee, a Texas native, snagged the part that would forever change her career.

Molly Ringwald in 'Pretty Woman?'

Molly Ringwald was a star in the '80s and reportedly the first choice to play Vivian Ward in "Pretty Woman" (1990). Some other actresses considered for the part? Meg Ryan, Kim Basinger, Sandra Bullock and Heather Locklear.

Oddly enough, Richard Gere wasn't the first choice to play Edward Lewis either. Al Pacino and Christopher Reeve were reportedly originally considered for the part.